Friday, December 18, 2009

For a quick all rounder

Blue Train Cafe

Southgate ComplexSouthbank

Ph: 03 9696 0440

It was a beautiful warm day, and we needed a sunny balcony to sit on. Mum and I headed over to Southbank, walking past the endless rows of snooty-looking restaurants and headed up to an old favourite in the Southgate Complex, Blue Train.

Seared salmon fillet: soba noodle salad, soy dressing ($19.90)

You know a dish is truly fantastic when you cant stop thinking about it for days; that's how I felt about this salmon fillet. The crunchy noodle salad was a great accompaniment to the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the salmon, and the soy dressing was strong and flavoursome without being too salty or overpowering.

The papadums that came with Mum's meal were wholegrain, adding some interesting flavour and texture. Mum's meal was fresh and light but the tandoori chicken was quite dry with an almost stringy texture. Pairing it with the cool, creamy raita helped.

One tiny little critisism: the menu is divided into sections entitled "small plates" and "big plates", and goes on to list quite an extensive selection of "plates". This made the menu hard to read, as I was overwhelmed by the choice and it took me a while to gather what I had to select from. Service is not bad but not fabulous - when we had clearly not even touched our meals yet the same waiter who brought them out came and asked "How is everything?" - but overall Blue Train is a great spot for contemporary meals served fast and at reasonable prices; and a seat on the sunny balcony is the perfect spot to relax after a hard day's shopping.